HK$2 transport subsidy age eligibility to remain

Welfare minister Chris Sun on Monday said the government has no plans to raise the age when older people can enjoy trips on public transport for just HK$2. Last month, the Hong Kong Economic Journal cited sources as saying the minimum age could be raised from the current 60, to 65. But in a written reply to a question from lawmaker Peter Koon, Sun said there are no plans to do this. "The government has stated clearly that it will maintain the policy intent of the HK$2 scheme to build a caring and inclusive society by encouraging the beneficiaries to participate more in community activities, and has no intention to cancel the scheme or change the existing beneficiary groups," Sun said. He said a review of the scheme is ongoing and the result of this will be announced in due course. "The government would take into account the effectiveness of different options in containing the growth of [the scheme's] expenditure and factors including the practicability of these options in the review," he said. Sun said the scheme is estimated to have cost nearly HK$4 billion in the last financial year, or 0.7 percent of the government's total operating expenditure. In the 2022-23 financial year, the scheme cost a little more than HK$3 billion.